Parcel-carrying apparatus



(No Model.)

J. S. RICHARDSON.

PARCEL CARRYING APPARATUS.

Patented May 5, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT JOHN S. RICHARDSON, OF LONVELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

PARCEL-CARRYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 451,602, dated May 5, 1891. Application filed May 15, 1890- Serial No. 361,904. (No model.)

To 00 whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN S. RICHARDSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Parcel-Carrying Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to parcelcarrying apparatus, more especially such as is used in wholesale meat-houses; and it consists in means of retaining the carrier upon the way or track while the parcel is being removed from said carrier, means of rigidly securing the carrier to the track when desired, and means of switching the carrier from any point of one track to another substantially parallel track.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an isometric perspective view of two parallel tracks, my improved switch connecting said tracks,'and my improved carrier restingon one of said tracks; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the carrier and an end elevation of a section of the track, a part of the frame of the carrier being broken away to show the screw of the binder; Fig. 3, a front elevation of the carrier and of a portion of the track; Fig. 4, a side elevation of one of said tracks and a vertical central section of the switch on the line 4 4: in Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a plan of what is shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6, a front elevation of a part of the track, part of the wheel of the carrier, and a vertical cross-section of the binder in the plane of the face of the track.

The devices hereinafter described relate to what are known to the trade as meat-t racks, referring to the tracks or rails, and meattrucks, referring to the carriers being used to connect different parts of the meat-boxes, so called, or refrigerators with each other and with the weighing-room and sales-rooms and with cars on railway-tracks.

' Two tracks A A are shown in Fig. 1, each of substantially the same construction, each track being a wrought-iron rail set up edgewise and supported by suitable hangers of well-known construction from the ceiling of the room in which they are used.

The carrier or truck 13 consists of a strip of metal Z as of wrought-iron, which forms the frame or block for the grooved wheel I), said frame being looped at its upper end at l) to re ceive said wheel I) and support the same upon a horizontal shaft b driven through said frame, the lower end of the frame beingbent parallel with said shaft and receivingthe shank b of a swiveling eye I)", which supports the hook I), on which the meat is hung, these parts being all of the usual construction and operation, except as hereinafter stated. It is frequently desirable to remove the carrier from the track, and therefore the frame is open on one side, as shown; but this construction makes it almost impossible to lift meat from the carrier without knocking the carrier off from the track, and in lifting large pieces of meat from one track to another the labor of two men is required, one to lift and carry the meat and the other to lift the carrier and to see that it does not become disengaged from the meat by accident, or if it be desired to disengage the meat from the hook of the carrier to hold the carrier upon the track and assist in such disengagement. The tracks are elevated a considerable distance above the heads of the workmen and serious accidents have been caused by the falling of carriers from the track, each carrier weighing several pounds. To prevent such accidents, 1 provide the carrier with a binder O, the same being a block, arranged below the wheel 0, adapted to enter a vertical slot b which I form in the frame I), and prevent said block from turning on said frame. A screw 0 is cast or otherwise secured in said block and projects horizontally through the slot 19 and on the outside of said frame carries awasher c and a nut 0 which turns on said screw and draws said block 0 against the inside of said frame and holds it at any desired height on said frame by clamping the frame 1) between said block and washer. The nut c is provided with a cylindrical body U and an enlarged outer portion or hand-wheel to enable the nut to be turned quickly by the hand to secure or loosen the binder, the body of the nut between the washer and the head of the nut being long enough to allow the fingers to enter readily between said head or enlargement and the back of the frame.

The upper surface of the block 0 is grooved at 0 to receive the foot of the rail and prevent the hanger from being accidentally dis b, and havingarib 7 H engaged from said rail, and the slot IE is of a suflicientlength to allow the block to be raised just high enough for this purpose, leaving the hanger free to travel on the rail, or to allow the block to be set up against the bottom The bottom of the of the rail and to bind the rail between said block and the wheel, so as to prevent the carrier from moving on the rail, :1 thing which is sometimes desirable on an inclined track. groove 0 is concaved at 0 Fig. 0, to make the ends of the groove like teeth to enable the binder better to adhere to the track. In removing meat from the carrier the binder saves the laborof one man by holding the carrier on the track.

which is called the In wholesale establishments of the kind above referred to it is customary to have two tracks arranged substantially parallel with each other and about two feet apart, one of dead track and is filled with carriers supporting meat. From these pieces of meat so supported the retail dealer selects the pieces he wishes to buy, and the selected pieces with their carriers are then usually moved by two men, as above stated, to the other track, which runsto aconvenicnt place for loading the meat upon a wagon or car. If the pieces selected were at the ends of the track or of therow of pieces in allcases, it would be an easy matter to inakethe tracks continuous; but the pieces are selected from different parts of the row and it is desirable to provide mechanical means for connecting the two tracks at any two opposite points.

The switch I) is a short metallic rail so bent or curved that its end portions (Z (1 both point in the same direction and are arranged at a distance apart equal to the distance between the tracks A A. The switch D is placed upon the tracks and its ends are inclined upward toward the middle of said switch, so that the wheel Z), in running onto the switch, will be raised until the track which itleavesis wholly out of the groove of the wheel, and so that when the carrier runs down'onto the other track the groove of the wheel will receive said last named track. The ends of the switch are rounded laterallyin order that the wheel of the carrier may not be stopped by said ends when the switch does not fit the track perfectly and in order that the ends of the switch in such case may be thrown into their proper position by said wheel. The switch is provided throughout the greater portion of its length with a flange (1*, which the switch and causing near its ends bears against the adjacent faces of the tracks connected by the switch and prevents the frame of the carrier being thrown by centrifugal force too far under the meat held by said carrier to strike and bruise other meat held by carriers arranged near the end of the switch as the carrier runs around the curves of the switch. (See Fig. 4.) The switch is provided with backwardly-extendin g webs (Z (1", provided with grooved cars (1 (1 which reach over the heads of the tracks connected by the switch, the sides of the grooves in said ears diverging downwardlyand being narrow enough to pinch the heads of the rails slightly. Aline connecting the ears (1 (Z should obviously pass back of the convex side of the switch, in order that the weight of the carrier and its lead may notpass back of said line and tip the switch over. Two handles (Z d" are secured to the under side of the webs d (1 to facilitate the operation of placing the switch upon the tracks. In practice a space is made be tween the carriers which hold the selected shoulder or other piece of meat by pushing the adjacent pieces as far away as possible, and the switch is then placed upon the tracks with one of its points close to the grooved wheel of the carrier which is to be moved, and. the carrier is then run up on the switch and along the same to the other track. \Viih the assistance of the switch a man or a boy can perform the work usually performed by two men, as above described, in shifting the meat from one track to the other and turning the carrier around to bring the open side of the carrier-frame next the track and the work can be performed more expeditiously and without any danger of accidents. The switch maybe made of cast or malleable iron or steel or other suitable material.

Obviously the switch may be turned in either direction, as may be most convenient, and will turn the carrier in every case to bring the open side of the carrier-frame next the track to which the carrier is to be moved.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of the carrier provided with a grooved supporting-whccl and a slotted frame, the binder having a screw to extend through the slot of said frame,and a nut turning on said screw, said binder having teeth to engage a rail on which said wheel runs, as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of a carrier provided with a grooved supporting-wheel and a slotted frame, the binder having a screw to extend through the slot of said frame,and a nutturning on said screw, said binder having a groove in its upper surface to receive the foot of a rail on which said wheel runs, said groove being deep at its middle and shallow at its ends to form teeth to catch on said rail, as and for the purpose specified.

8. The combination of two parallel tracks or rails, a carrier provided with a wheel grooved to receive either of said tracks, said carrier having a frame, and a switch having inclined ends and adapted to rest upon said tracks and to raise said wheel until its groove is above one of said tracks and subsequently to lower said wheel until its groove receives the other of said tracks, and said switch having a flange to prevent, the frame of said carrier from swinging too far under said switch, as and for the purpose specified.

at. A removable switch adapted to connect two parallel tracks and curved laterally to bring each of its ends in line with one of said tracks and provided with extensions from its ceive the heads of the tracks, as and for the IO n convex side to rest upon said tracks, as and purpose specified for the purpose specified. In Witness whereof I have signed this speci- 5. A removable switch adapted to connect fication, in the presence of two attesting Wit- 5 two parallel tracks and curved laterally to nesses, this 13th day of May, A. D. 1890.

bring each of its ends in line with one of said JOHN S. RICHARDSON. tracks and provided with extensions from its Witnesses: convex side to rest upon said tracks,said ex- ALBERT M. MOORE,

tensions being provided with grooves to re- MYRTIE G. BEALS. 

